As one skilled in this technology readily realizes, it is often difficult to tie an object like a boat to the dock, or a bumper to a boat or tie down a load on a cargo bed and be able to apply tension when attempting to knot the rope or line together. For example, loads on the bed of a truck are tied down by placing a link chain over the load and anchoring it to the structure of the truck. A ratchet type of mechanism carries a hook that attaches to one of the links of the chain that takes up the slack of the chain by a ratcheting mechanism that is operatively connected to the hook. The operator merely pumps the handle of the ratchet so as to translate the hook until the chain is pulled taut. In the case of bumpers used to protect the hull of a boat, as another example, the bumper is located on the side of a water craft and needs to be raised or lowered to a point of the side of the water craft where the bumper prevents the water craft from bumping against a surface that would cause injury thereto. Another example is where a boat is tied to the dock and the tie line needs to be tensioned so as to place the boat in the proper docked position. Other tensioning devices include a pair of rotatable jaws that accept the rope and by pulling in one direction the rope slides between the jaws and by pulling the rope in the opposite direction the jaws squeeze together and prevent the rope from moving in that direction. Another example of where this invention has utility is where two ropes are needed to be tied together and it is difficult or impossible to knot the two ropes together.
We have found that we can solve these tying problems by providing an apparatus with judiciously located slots and apertures and with discrete radii at certain locations making it possible to tension the line with little difficulty and likewise, the same degree of ease is afforded by this invention for coupling two lines together. The invention is characterized as being relatively easy to use, is reliable in that it maintains the tension regardless of the load, within reason, and that it is relatively inexpensive to make. The apparatus of this invention can be made from a plastic material or any other material that is light in weight, relatively small so as to be easy to carry and handle and will float in water, so as not to sink and it is corrosive resistant.